The Midnight Garden

Soft secrets whisper through the grass

as the night creatures stir

dreams fly from a hidden lair

And the seeds of tomorrow are sown

There must be something about January for its chill and drear seems to inspire me to dream of seasons past and to come - the warm kind - and to paint flowers. This time last year I called my 'Poppy Period' and it seems we have come full circle with the seeds of last winter bearing fruit again!

There are paintings in various stages of completion drying all over the lounge floor and calling me back. This one came from a messy experiment. It started life as an abstract watercolour butterfly, then I tried my new stencil and played with some spray inks. It was all set to become a piece of scrap when suddenly I saw the poppy heads stirring in the night as the fairies brushed past their stems...

Sharing with Sunday Sketches.

A Magical Journal Journey

Collaborate is my word for 2014, but it's not exactly something new for me. For the past two years I have been a part of a truly special creative project with a bunch of wonderful artist friends that span two continents.

We have worked together to weave a set of magical journals each imbued with our own styles and spells. A veritable coven of creativity, we inspired each other with a colourful theme to set the tone.

This year we chose a colour theme for our journal before sending it on its way. At last it's back and the slideshow above is its visual story of its journey packed with the work of nine artists.

I chose rusty hues - crackly browns, sumptuous oranges and speckles of turquoise and green.

The book spent nine months on the road (no wonder it go so rusty!) before coming home to me in November - about five times fatter than when it set off. In fact, it resembles more of a concertina these days than a bound book!

At first the colour theme was a little scary, but we collaborative journallers are seasoned professionals these days and knew that once we got started and did something about those pesky blank pages, then all would be well.

Right now we are in the throes of planning our project for 2014. One of these days maybe it won't just be my journal that gets to travel and meet my friends! Although... Kat and I did meet this October when I was 'down her neck of the woods'. It felt like we'd already met a thousand times!

Visit my fellow artists and dreamers over the course of this weekend (starting Saturday) as we share our work, and view the fruits of our labours and roll about in all those juicy colours! See if you can spot my contributions!

• Angie at Art Angel
• Gemma at Gemma's House
• Kat at Wright Story
• Kim at IM Girl
• Maggie at The Fanciful Magpie
• Priti Lisa at Priti Studio
• Stephanie at Dragonfly Design Studio
• Tammy at Art and Inspirations

How to save a few quid and get some exercise

Next time your car is due for a service and the garage is 6 miles away, why not contemplate using these few tips to help you both save money and exercise!

Yes, dear reader. It would be silly to waste money on a taxi and gym membership when a brisk walk home will get the old heart pumping.

The route is quite a pleasant one too on a raised up pathway above the flood plains and overlooking the river. What a splendid idea!


DISCLAIMER

If it's raining and blowing a gale, you may find that the raised pathway alongside an expanse of open ground is not terribly sheltered. Umbrellas do not stand up too well in these conditions and the driving rain will soak through every layer of clothing you are wearing - no matter how thick and warm it starts out at the beginning of your journey.

The path is also isolated from any road for the first 2.5 miles so once you get about halfway along and realise it's a bad idea, then it's a little late.

You may then have to battle on with no protection from the elements getting wetter and colder until the first sign of civilisation. If you're very lucky, the nice people at the Holiday Inn will call you a taxi and give you a towel to dry your hair.

Unfortunately you will still have to pay for the taxi home as well as a new umbrella. Any benefits from the exercise will shortly be wrecked by coming down with a sore throat and a cold. Next time... get a bloody taxi!

My word ... COLLABORATE

Last year my word of the year was 'Rhubarb' - a fruity choice but not terribly conducive to following any form of set direction. In fact, I would go so far as to say that many of my goals 'crumbled' due to such a lack of binding substance.

This will not happen in 2014. No No No...

The year, albeit only two days old has already begun with a differing outlook - a barrel-load of commitment and a rolling stone of change!

My word is COLLABORATE.

Here's how I see it going:

Business
I work OK on my own, but it's when I'm teamed up with others that I shine. I love to get my teeth into new projects and sprinkle them with ideas and possibilities. I bring creativity, enthusiasm, knowledge, entrepreneurship, companionship and a bit of sparkle. Likewise, those I work with light the fire within me, give me the courage to push beyond comfortable boundaries and deliver promised results. Collaboration gives accountability and drives productivity. I want more! Are you looking for a partner to help you deliver in 2014?

Pleasure
Being a part of something special makes my soul bloom. For the past two years I have worked with other artists on collaborative projects and watched with delight as we have all put out our shoots and grown together. This is set to continue with projects underway and plans unfolding - but I dream of more! I have the germ of an idea seeding within me which I hope to share soon ... watch this space!

A word of caution to myself
I do like to say a big fat "Yes" to exciting invitations - it is, after all, the path to adventure. However, as I have learnt to my cost in the past, there are only so many balls I can simultaneously juggle. This is my little word of caution not to overload at any one time... Listen carefully Lisa and choose wisely!

Anti-
Before I go, might I share my anti work of the year - the one that I'm trying my level best to not only avoid, but fight against. I am preparing my defences against the might of the dreaded demon Procrastination. May it beaten into submission once and for all!

eRROR

Having an error message pop up on screen just as you are about re-start your blogging habit is not terribly auspicious is it? Plus, it appears I left cAPS-lOCK on too (and I've got a sore throat and aching limbs but that's a whole other topic).

Is this a message from the stars or simply just an unfortunate quirk of fate?

I think I'll go with the former as that sounds far more intriguing (and allows for a long and rambling blog post!). It could be the title of my new book. One of the main characters whispered his secrets to me last night as I lay in bed listening to explosions that were seeing in the New Year. I did watch for a little while as the sky above my town lit up in celebration but my bed was just so cosy and tempting... Maybe it's going to be the recurring lyric in a catchy tune set to take the charts by storm...

OR - it's the clanging chimes of doom? I mean have you read what it says? The compile time user-agent  is gonna get me!

I was going to write about my word for 2014 in this post, but got distracted (an all-too-regular failing which I will try to remedy at some point this year too). However, ANTI-PROCRASTINATION is not my word of guidance, much as it runs of the tongue so delightfully. You'll just have to wait until the next post to find out what is!

Tootles!

Layer love

I find something deeply satisfying in creating a piece of art made up from many layers, especially when some of those lying underneath didn't quite turn out as planned. It's a metaphor for persistence and knowing that most times, the more effort you put in, the better and more consistent the result.

There's something so much more interesting in peering deep into a project to investigate all the intricacies that hold the construction together - and how we learn from our mistakes!

I'm returning to my old love of portrait painting - Gritty Jane set up a challenge and naturally I am no more able to resist that than an open bar of chocolate. This is #3 inspired by the theme 'layers'. #1 and #2 below.

Flame-haired

I am trying to think of something to write about this flame-haired beauty. Maybe commenting on what she's holding in her hands as the beginnings to a story.

However, I am afraid that this evening the words won't come. All I can think about is the newly laundered sheets waiting on the bed next door, the fluffed up pillows and feathery duvet... Sigh, it's Saturday night and only just 11pm and all I want to do is snuggle down and sleep....

I do want to join in Sunday Sketches though... so here she is! I partly borrowed her from a couple of illustrations by the fantasy artist Stephanie Pui-Mun Law from her instructional book 'Dreamscapes'.